Teeth Tissues: Product Review Sunday

Baby teeth serve several important functions that aid in a child’s development. They help in the development of speech and they hold space for the future adult teeth. Finally, a smile can help to build a child’s self confidence and social skills.

Dental cavities are the most common childhood disease and are preventable. While most of us are enjoying fewer cavities, children ages two to three are actually suffering an increase.

Early childhood decay is usually caused when babies are put to sleep with a bottle filled with milk, formula, juice, or other drinks that contain sugar, even natural sugars. It can also happen when babies are nursed to sleep because breast milk contains natural sugars.

Begin oral care early. Wipe the baby’s gums with a wet washcloth or a clean gauze pad after each feeding. Babies and toddlers should finish their naptime and bedtime bottles before going to bed. Never allow a baby or toddler to fall asleep with a bottle containing milk, formula, fruit juices or sweetened liquids or a pacifier dipped in sugar or honey.

Use a cooled teeth tissues for a gum massage to relieve sore and inflamed gums when teething. An independent study done at the University of San Francisco Dental School shows that teeth tissues do reduce cavities in baby teeth.

Four tips to help transition a child into a good brusher.

1. Start Early!
Health habits that start from birth last a lifetime. Even before teeth are erupted, baby’s gums and cheeks should be wiped with a moistened washcloth or convenient dental wipe such as Tooth Tissues TM after every feeding to remove plaque and excess milk or formula. Getting a child used to oral stimulation often helps make introducing a toothbrush easier later on.

2. Two brushes are better than one!
Let ‘little helpers’ help with a second toothbrush.
Many young children enjoy brushing their own teeth first. Most children use this as an opportunity to chew on the toothbrush causing the bristles to splay. Parents should then use the second toothbrush to do a thorough brushing. We encourage parents to help kids brush until they are about six- to eight-years-old because not all kids have the manual dexterity to do a good job by themselves.

3. When all else fails! Distract!
Distract your child with a favorite song or story.

4. 31 Flavors anyone?
Many children are fussy eaters; this extends to toothpaste flavors. Try different flavors and, if all else fails, water is better than nothing.

I use training paste & gum brushes for infants w/o teeth yet and vibrating tooth brushes for infants w/teeth, toddlers etc. I also tell toddlers about the cavity creeps and how we wash them away with brushing. They all love this and yell into the mirror while brushing "get out of my mouth cavity creeps"